Chhattisgarh
Postcards to PM Against Skywalk
The Congress roped in people to protest against the under-construction Rs 48 crore skywalk in Raipur by writing postcards to the Prime Minister. “The area was proposed for a flyover, not a skywalk. Residents have written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to scrap the project, which involves corruption and colossal waste of money,” said Vikas Upadhyay, Raipur Congress president.
Punjab
Motorcycle Diary
The “lucky” motorcycles that the BJP used to campaign for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections have rolled into Gurdaspur for the Lok Sabha October 11 bypoll, to be used by party candidate Sawarn Salaria. Around 40 motorcycles will be used, of which 20 have arrived. Around 1,680 such motorcycles were purchased during the Uttar Pradesh elections.
Maharashtra
Eyewash to Protect Image
Former Maharashtra finance minister and NCP’s deputy leader in the Assembly Jayant Patil’s open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday surprised many. Patil has been in touch with the BJP leadership for a long time and wants to join the party like Congress leader Narayan Rane. It is said that NCP didn’t join NDA in 1999 due to Patil’s opposition. The open letter was just an eyewash and attempt to protect that image, believe party insiders.
Better Late Than Never
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray could catch a few headlines by levelling allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP this week while debuting on social media. His Facebook page gathered 43 lakh followers on the first day. However, while a comment blamed him for taking 11 years to appear on Facebook, others wished people would vote for him in the next election.
Uttar pradesh
Not a Prostitute
The witty Amar Singh has now compared himself a prostitute. The former Man Friday of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav said while venting his ire on his mentor, “I’m not a political prostitute who would come in the darkness of night and leave before dawn as Netaji wants me to do.” Singh was referring to Mulayam’s wish that he should meet him at night and leave before the morning to escape the eyes of Akhilesh and Azam Khan. The sacked Thakur SP leader has made it clear he is willing to join BJP.
Bihar
Of Rats and Crocodiles
RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav had slammed the Nitish Kumar government when a minister blamed rats for last month’s devastating floods. Now, when the wall of a canal breached hours before Nitish was to inaugurate the irrigation project, Lalu rubbed it in. “Water resources minister Lalan Singh had said embankments were weakened because rats made holes in them. Now, when the canal wall has breached, will he say a ghariyal (alligator) made a hole in it, causing it to collapse?”
Madhya Pradesh
From Congress Leader to BJP Bahu
One of the young faces of opposition Congress will soon be turning BJP’s bahu in Madhya Pradesh where Assembly polls are slated in 2018. Himadri Singh, who lost the Shahdol Lok Sabha seat by-poll in 2016 to BJP’s tribal stalwart Gyan Singh by 59,000 votes, will marry BJP MP Narendra Singh Marawi on November 23. Himadri, the 28-year-old daughter of former Union minister Dalbir Singh and ex-Congress MP Rajesh Nandini Singh will marry Scheduled Tribes Commission chief Marawi, who as BJP candidate had lost to Himadri’s mother from Shahdol in 2009 elections. “After my parents’ death, my guardians decided my arranged marriage, but politics will never hinder the marital life,” says Himadri.